Girdle



Jan. 31, 1967 V-AN DAVIS ODELL 3,301,262

GIRDLE Filed Feb. 17, 1965 IN VENTOR.

2 11 m, Davis Odell AT TORN E Y5 United States Patent 3,301,262 GIRDLE Van Davis Odell, 1158 th Ave., New York, N.Y. 10029 Filed Feb. 17, 1965, Ser. No. 433,299 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-562) This invention relates to the art of wearing apparel and, more specifically, the class of girdles; and the present improvement resides in the facility with which my present girdle can be donned and removed by those who are handicapped in the use of their hands and fingers.

From actual personal experience and from the experience of many others, I have learned that arthritis, partial paralysis and other disabling afilictions make it impossible for the wearer to don or remove the usual form of girdle that is permanently and completely closed or is provided with hooks and eyes or other fastening means that require manipulations of the wearers fingers; and statistics show that there are millions of women who suffer from the loss of fine finger articulation.

It is therefore the object of this invention to devise a girdle that is so constructed that it can be donned and removed by those who are so physically handicapped that they can not manipulate hooks and eyes and other such fastening means and are not able to don and remove the permanently and completely closed form of girdle.

A more specific object of my present invention is to devise a girdle that can be applied to the body in substantially fully open condition and that is provided with conveniently located and readily .manipulatable means for closing the same in position upon the body of the wearer and for removing the same therefrom, for the advantage of those who are unable to cope with the requirements of the more familiar types of girdles.

A still more specific object of this invention is to provide a girdle with a front panel that has conveniently located and readily slidable means of connection with the body of the girdle, so constructed and arranged that the front of the girdle is practically fully open when in idle condition so as to facilitate donning and removing the same by the handicapped wearer in such manner that the girdle will assume snugly fitting engagement about her body and will afford the same efficiency and comfort as the more familiar types of girdles.

Other objects will appear from the following description and claims when considered together with the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 illustrates my present girdle applied to the body of the wearer and in fully closed condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of my girdle with the front panel in open condition.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing in detail, the present design of girdle comprises a front panel 1, a rear panel 2 and side panels 3 and 4. In my present design, the front panel 1 has no stretch, the rear panel 2 has only vertical stretch and the side panels 3 and 4 have stretch both vertically and laterally. The front and rear panels 1 and 2 may be of nylon lastex and the side panels 3 and 4 may be of Lycra although other materials might be adopted for the different panels; and the upper and lower edges of the girdle may be provided with the desired style of trim for the sake of comfort and appearance. The front and side panels are of substantially the same rectangular shape and size while the rear panel is of substantially trapezoidal shape and is sewed to the side panels throughout their entire extent, as indicated by reference numerals 2a and 2b.

Between the adjacent edges of the front panel 1 and the side panels 3 and 4 I have provided vertically aligned longitudinally slidable connecting means, familiarly known as zippers, that are conveniently located at the front of "ice the girdle and extend from the upper and lower ends of the girdle body to a point, in each instance, approximately midway of the length or height of the girdle, as clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing. That is, the upper side edges between the panels 1 and 3, and 1 and 4, are provided with the two upper zipper units 1a-3a and la4a, respectively; and the lower side edges of the panels 1 and 3, and 1 and 4, are provided with the two lower zipper units 1b3b and 1b-4b, respectively. The two upper zipper units are in vertical alignment, in each instance, with the two lower zipper units, as indicated in the figures of the drawing, and the upper zipper units are adapted for operation in the opposite direction from the lower zipper units, as also clearly indicated in the drawing. It is to be understood that the locking teeth 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the upper and lower zipper units stop short approximately midway of the length or height of the girdle body; and the adjacent ends of the upper and lower zipper units are, in each instance, sewed together with crossed stitching midway of the length of the girdle body, as indicated by reference numerals 5 and 6, so as to close the girdle permanently at these two points but at only these two points. The four zipper units are all duplicates and differ only in their arrangement for opening and closing, as above explained.

The usual slidable zipper fastening members 7a, 8a, 9a and 10a are provided with the usual manipulating tabs; the upper members 7a and 9a being slidable downwardly and the lower members 8a and 10a being slidab-le upward- 1y towards open position, as indicated in FIG. 2 of the drawing. The edge of each of the side panels 3 and 4 is provided with an inner strip, 30 and 40, adapted to lie beneath the upper and lower zipper" units in each instance and to cover the same in the usual manner, the stitching 5-6 extending through this strip also, in each instance, as a further means of securing the adjacent ends of the zipper units to the panel members. These parts are so designed that, when in the position illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawing, the girdle is open throughout practically its entire length, being closed at only the points 5-6; and, when in the position indicated in FIG. 1, there is obtained a snugly fitting engagement of the girdle in a most efiicient manner about the body of the wearer. The bottom ends of the front and rear panels are provided with garter attachments 11 and 12 for the stockings.

In effect this girdle might be viewed as having aligned slits extending longitudinally or vertically from the upper and lower ends of the front part thereof and terminating approximately midway of the length or height of the girdle body; these slits being readily and effectively closed solely and exclusively by means of the slidably operated fastening means that are here to be recognized as the familiar zippers.

When donning this garment, after having first put on the stockings, the wearer will insert her legs through the girdle body in fully open condition (FIG. 2) and then fasten the stockings to the attachments 11 and 12 while the girdle is still in loose condition with the front panel 1 in position corresponding to her lap. Then, while the wearer occupies either standing or reclining position, the practically open girdle can be readily pulled up into proper wearing position; whereupon she will close the zipper fastening or locking members by sliding the same, (members 7a, 8a, 9a and 10a), in the following manner. Beginning with the lower zippers, she will first slide one of them no more than approximately one inch, then slide the other lower locking member to the same extent; and this alternating procedure will be continued until the lower zipper members are fully closed, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Then this same alternating procedure will be followed with the upper zipper fasteners until they oc- 3 mp3 fully closed position, as indicated in FIG. 1 of the drawing. I have found from actual experience that, With this arrangement and manner of operation, this girdle can be donned most efleotively even without any hooks and eyes beneath the zippers for preliminary fastening; and I do not experience any tension or any binding or imbalance between the lower zippers or between the upper zippers during the process of closing the same in the manner as above described. T he result is a smooth donning and fitting of the girdle about the body of the wearer, accompanied by the same degree of comfort and general satisfaction that might be expected from any other girdle; and this girdle may be removed from the body of the wearer by following the reverse alternating adjustment of the slidable zipper fastening members and with the same smoothness of operation and satisfaction as experienced during the donning of the same. Furthermore, this can be accomplished by the use of only one hand of the wearer; that is, both the donning and removal of the garment.

Thus, with the particular structure and arrangement of parts in my present form of girdle, it is possible to overcome the handicap of those who are not physically able to don and remove the more familiar types of girdles; and this improvement is accomplished without sacrificing any efiiciency and comfort. The practical advantages of this invention will, so it is believed,'be appreciated and accepted by those who are so unfortunate as to need the aid contemplated herein.

It is to be understood that the present form of disclosure is merely for the sake of illustration and that there might be devised various modifications thereof without departing from the spirit of my invention as herein set forth and claimed.

What I claim is:

1. A girdle having a panel forming part thereof and connected thereto by means of transversely and substantially spaced pairs of vertically aligned upper and lower slidable fastening means, the upper and lower fastening means of each pair extending from the upper and lower ends, respectively, of the girdle and terminating short of each other substantially midway of the length of the girdle, said upper fastening means being slidable downwardly and said lower fastening means being slidable upwardly to open position so as to thereby render said panel substantially open when the fastening means are in open position.

2. A girdle comprising front, rear and side panels connected together, the connections between the front and side panels consisting exclusively of transversely spaced pairs of vertically aligned upper and lower slidable fastening means, the upper and lower fastening means of each pair extending from the upper and lower ends, respectively, of the girdle and terminating short of each other substantially midway of the length of the girdle, said upper fastening means being slidable downwardly and said lower fastening means being slidable upwardly to open position so as to thereby render the front panel substantially free of the side panels when the fastening means are in open position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 880,736 3/1908 Hoskins l28573 2,455,272 11/1948 Robbins 128-566 2,930,380 3/1960 Meyer 128-572 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner, 

2. A GIRDLE COMPRISING FRONT, REAR AND SIDE PANELS CONNECTED TOGETHER, THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE FRONT AND SIDE PANELS CONSISTING EXCLUSIVELY OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED PAIRS OF VERTICALLY ALIGNED UPPER AND LOWER SLIDABLE FASTENING MEANS, THE UPPER AND LOWER FASTENING MEANS OF EACH PAIR EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, RESPECTIVELY, OF THE GIRDLE AND TERMINATING SHORT OF EACH OTHER SUBSTANTIALLY MIDWAY OF THE LENGTH OF THE GIRDLE, SAID UPPER FASTENING MEANS BEING SLIDABLE DOWNWARDLY AND SAID LOWER FASTENING MEANS BEING SLIDABLE UPWARDLY TO OPEN POSITION SO AS TO THEREBY RENDER THE FRONT PANEL SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF THE SIDE PANELS WHEN THE FASTENING MEANS ARE IN OPEN POSITION. 